It probably feels like pupils and students have only just returned after the long summer break. So, roof safety work might not be at the top of your list for Christmas just yet. But if you manage a school, college, or university estate, now is a good time to start thinking about any fall protection or safe access improvements and plan the work for educational facilities.
Christmas, half-term and Easter holidays can provide an ideal opportunity to carry out work while buildings are quieter and there are fewer pupils, students and staff on site.
Early planning gives you time to survey your roofs, identify potential hazards, and plan and budget the works for the next suitable school break.
Why roof safety needs your attention
People may only need to access your roofs occasionally, but that doesn’t make the risks any less serious.
Your maintenance teams and contractors will need access for a range of purposes. This could include inspecting or repairing roofing, clearing gutters, maintaining HVAC equipment, servicing or installing solar PV panels, or carrying out other essential work.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is clear, all roof work is potentially dangerous, even if the job takes only a few minutes.
Falls from height also remain the most common cause of fatal workplace injuries in Great Britain, especially in the construction sector, which includes maintenance. Latest figures show that 31 workers died following falls from height in 2025/26, around a quarter of all worker fatalities during the year.
Who is responsible for roof safety work in educational facilities?
This isn’t always as straightforward as it sounds, as it depends on the type of school, college or university. It could be the local authority, academy trust, governing body, or college/university corporation.
Whoever it is, they have a duty to protect people at that facility: students, staff, visitors and contractors.
What are the main roof safety hazards?
There’s no one set solution for safe roof work at educational facilities, as each roof and access requirement is different.
For example, a university building covered with rooftop plant will have different challenges from an older school building with fragile rooflights.
But these are the most common hazards we eliminate for our education clients.
Unprotected or exposed roof edges
An unprotected edge is a serious fall risk. Workers may need to work near to the edge to inspect or repair gutters.
Edge protection in the form of freestanding or fixed protection provides collective protection for anyone working on a roof with exposed edges.
Unlike personal fall protection, collective measures protect everyone using the area without relying on them attaching themselves to a system. HSE’s work-at-height hierarchy says to consider collective protection before personal protection.
Fragile rooflights
HSE says falls through fragile surfaces, particularly fibre-cement roofs and rooflights, account for 22% of fatal falls from height in the construction industry. Weathering, dirt and discolouration can make rooflights difficult to see, increasing the risk of an accident.
Freestanding rooflight covers can provide collective protection around or over these vulnerable areas.
Rooftop plant, pipework and services
School, college and university roofs can be congested with a variety of plant and equipment.
Air conditioning units, ventilation equipment, pipework, ducting, cables and other services can all obstruct access. This could mean workers have to climb over pipework or walk around an obstruction to reach their work area. As well as causing trip hazards, it can also take them closer to a fall hazard.
Bespoke step-over platforms can provide a safe route over obstructions and changes in level.
Unsafe or unsuitable roof access
There’s no point protecting people working on your roof if they can’t get onto or off it safely. This is an area people often forget about.
Bespoke access ladders provide a safe way to the roof or difficult-to-reach areas. A self-closing safety gate and guardrail on either side of the ladder provide additional safety as people step onto the roof from the ladder, while lockable gates and ladder guards prevent unauthorised use.
Why this matters for educational facilities
In July 2026, HSE reported that an academy trust had been fined £32,000 after a site supervisor suffered life-changing injuries following a fall from a school roof.
The employee had used an unsecured ladder to access the roof to retrieve footballs. He fell onto the concrete playground below.
HSE’s investigation found no edge protection or other means to prevent or mitigate a fall. The trust also didn’t have a standalone work-at-height risk assessment or safe system of work covering the task.
Sadly, this case shows just how quickly what seems to be a simple task turns into a devastating incident.
Make the next school holiday count
Holiday periods provide an opportunity to carry out roof safety improvements with less disruption to the normal operation of your school, college or university.
But don’t wait until everyone has gone home to start thinking about it.
We can survey your roofs, identify potential fall and access hazards, recommend solutions based on how your buildings are actually used, and ensure your existing equipment is safe and compliant through our professional inspection service.
We can look at the entire roof and recommend the most appropriate combination of access and fall protection measures for your site and budget.
So, while pupils and students might only just be back, now could be the perfect time to start planning for the next break.
